That's Amore!
by Nefereu
Summary: Five years after the Labyrinth, Sarah and Jareth lead separate lives. But too much spirits and a dark, stormy night may just change that at last. Another one shot of absolute fluff. Just a bit of fun! In vino, veritas. Latin


That's Amore! ( In Vino, Veritas!)

Just a small tale inspired by an old Dean Martin song. As usual, I own no rights to either the Labyrinth or Dean Martin's famous ballad. Enjoy!

The Goblin King sat on his throne in a blacker mood than usual. It was bad enough that this was the fifth anniversary of his rejection by Sarah, the only woman who had ever really interested him. To make things worse, he was stuck in the throne room forced to listen to an endlessly boring speech from the Dwarf King's ambassador expounding the virtues of some meaningless trade agreement. Jareth would have loved nothing more than to be left alone so he could fume in peace. The past five years hadn't been pleasant for him, passing slowly as each dull, grey day bled into another. He no longer sang or danced. In fact, there simply wasn't much that amused Jareth anymore. It all seemed so pointless. The ambassador droned on, obsequiously flattering Jareth and offering him several gifts of tribute. He had even brought several casks of the fabled _dwarven grog,a spirit so powerful it was said to make anyone forget their troubles after only one cup._

Willingly, Jareth allowed a servant to pour him a sample. Heaven knew he wouldn't mind a little forgetfulness, especially today.

Thunder exploded outside like a cannon shot, rattling the windows and making Sarah jump. The storm had gotten steadily worse and was now raging outside. Lightening flashed again and the room suddenly became darker as the lights went out. Luckily, the glow of her small apartment fireplace gave off enough light for Sarah to still see. Already prepared for bed, she tugged her robe tighter around her.

Sarah sighed heavily, acutely aware of what her problem was. It was five years ago this very night she had foolishly wished Toby away; the storm had only made things worse. Though she was now grown up and in college, she was still haunted by her trip to the goblin Kingdom and her fateful encounter with its enigmatic ruler.

While she knew she could have never accepted Jareth's offer, some tiny part of her heart would always have a sliver of regret. To this day, she had never quite gotten over the Goblin King. The large mantel clock loudly struck midnight making Sarah jump once again. She was simply too restless to sleep tonight. Her memories and the storm had made that impossible.

Suddenly, a loud, furious pounding on her door brought Sarah to her feet and sent her moving to open it. Forgetting to be cautious, she threw it open and was mystified as a tall, dripping wet figure stood before her shrouding in the darkness outside. Lightening flashed and Sarah gasped as she recognized the face. It was the Goblin King! Belatedly, Sarah thought about slamming the door, but shock held her immobile and Jareth quickly slid inside out of the rain.

His appearance took her by surprise. Unlike their previous encounters, Jareth was hardly regal and imposing. He stood before Sarah minus his usual cloak, wearing only a linen shirt, overly tight pants, boots and his characteristic gloves. Unfortunately, he was dripping wet and looked like a drowned rat. His usually elegant hair hung limp and damp in his face, mostly in his eyes. He was a sorry sight indeed.

"Jareth... I mean Your Majesty..." Sarah stammered, struggling to gather her thoughts.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to find out, Sarah!" Jareth replied rather vaguely as he dripped on her rug. "I can't stand it any more! I have to know!"

"Know what?" Sarah demanded as she closed the door against the storm.

"I don't understand it." Jareth continued as if he hadn't heard her." It simply makes no sense. I won't leave until I know. I have to know why."

"Why what?" she snapped back, growing irritable as the situation progressed.

"You will tell me..." he said, shaking a rather unsteady finger at Sarah. Her mouth dropped open as comprehension finally dawned on Sarah.

"You're DRUNK!" she cried.

"I am not!" Jareth protested, taking a step toward her.

Unfortunately, he immediately began to stagger, tripping over his own feet and falling heavily onto Sarah's couch.

"Okay, maybe just a little." the Goblin King reluctantly conceded.

For some reason, Sarah found the sight of Jareth intoxicated immensely appealing. He was normally so arrogant, controlled and imposing; seeing him this way was quite a change and a bit refreshing. It made him seem far more approachable. Sarah found that thought intriguing.

Quickly she got a towel and handed it to Jareth as she sat down next to him. He was splayed out on her couch like a wet rag doll. Mournfully, he looked at her.

"Why, Sarah? Why did you do it?" he asked woefully.

"Do what?" she asked, speaking slowly and distinctly. "How can I answer if you don't tell me what you mean?"

"Why did you reject me?" he went on. "I'm the Goblin King. I would have given you everything you ever dreamed of."

"I couldn't!" Sarah cried." You would have changed Toby into a goblin!"

"I would not!" Jareth protested. "I wasn't even interested in him! I just took him because you asked and to get your attention! I watched you in the park, did you know that? You were so beautiful, standing there reciting the lines of that book. I couldn't stop looking at you."

"Get my attention? Are you insane?" she gasped. "You made me run the Labyrinth and tried to kill me!"

"I did not!" Jareth countered. "I wouldn't have harmed you! I just wanted to get you to stay!"

Sarah rolled her eyes in disbelief. "You sent the Cleaners after me!"

"I was just trying to make you ask for my help." he answered miserably. "How else could I rescue you?"

"So let me get this straight." Sarah stated, not sure she believed her ears. "You took my baby brother to get my attention and put me in danger just so you could rescue me?"

"Yes. How else could I prove my love? A hero can't prove himself until he rescues his lady from danger. How could I rescue you if you weren't in danger? But it didn't work. You won. You beat the Labyrinth, turned me down and that was it. I lost you forever, the only woman I ever loved." Jareth replied in a dejected tone.

Sarah paused slowly digesting what Jareth was saying. She was almost afraid to believe him, fearing it was another trick. As a history major, Sarah had often thought Jareth reminded her of the great medieval kings of old. She never considered he might hold the values of the same era when it came to love. Still, that hardly justified endangering her just so he could rescue her!

"Jareth, I was only fifteen." Sarah sighed, not sure what to make of this whole turn of events.

"I didn't care." he countered. "You could have returned to your family or stayed in the castle until you were eighteen. I would have found an appropriate chaperone for you. You could have been my queen and we could have been married. But it's over and done! Poof; gone like one of my globes."

"Jareth..." Sarah tried to interrupt.

"Now I'll be miserable and alone for all eternity." he went on woefully.

"Jareth!" Sarah said firmly, turning his face to her." Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" he asked seemingly befuddled.

"You're here now." she explained. Jareth still seemed confused.

"I'm not fifteen anymore." she elaborated, glaring at him meaningfully.

"Huh?" Jareth replied, totally oblivious.

"Oh, never mind!" Sarah sighed, leaning forward. Instantly, she planted a firm kiss on his surprised mouth. Jareth froze for a moment and then grabbed hold of Sarah, pulling her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her thoroughly, leaving them both breathless. Reluctantly, Sarah broke the kiss as Jareth buried his nose in her hair.

"You smell like lavender." He murmured, holding her tightly. "Sarah, my dear sweet love; you love me, don't you. " He stated more than asked.

"Yes... I think so." Sarah ventured, not sure how to answer. She sighed heavily. "It's not that simple, Jareth. This isn't the Middle Ages. You can't get someone to love you just by rescuing them. Love is about relationships and those take time. Two people get to know each other, their feelings develop. That's the way it works."

Reluctantly, Sarah slid off his lap and noticed he was still quite wet. "You should get out of those wet clothes. I'll find you something to wear." She said, heading toward her bedroom.

Jareth watched her go, his thinking still befuddled by the dwarven grog. He hadn't understood all that Sarah said, but knew it had been something meaningful. After a moment, he vaguely recalled Sarah saying something about getting out of his clothes.

Without any further thought, he promptly took off everything, even his gloves. Though it all didn't make sense, Jareth didn't care. It sounded like a good idea to him. Staggering slightly, he followed unsteadily after Sarah.

Sarah came out of her bathroom with an old pair of oversized sweats and immediately froze. There, on the other side of the bed stood the Goblin King, stark naked, in "all his glory". Sarah's mouth went dry and her heart began to pound. Jareth was magnificent! He could put Michelangelo's "David" to shame!

"Sarah." Jareth murmured dreamily, reaching across the bed in her direction. Unfortunately, he was still quite unsteady and immediately toppled face forward onto Sarah's bed. Sarah couldn't suppress a snort of laughter at his obvious intoxication and said in amusement. "Umm, maybe you'd just better call it a night, Jareth." In truth, she was finding this all quite vastly amusing as well as confusing. Jareth tipsy was really quite endearing.

"Mmmph." Jareth replied as Sarah reached for a blanket to cover him up, believing he had passed out. But, just as she was about to grab a pillow and head for the couch, Jareth deftly slipped an arm around Sarah and pulled her backward down into the bed next to him. Settling her back firmly against his chest spoon fashion, he wound both arms tightly around her and snuggled his nose into her hair. "I think I'm beginning to love lavender." He sighed contentedly, promptly falling asleep.

Sarah struggled a little, trying to get free; but Jareth's arms were like a vise. After a few moments, she gave up. The clock in the other room struck one. Bewildered by all that she'd heard and worn out by the events of the last hour, Sarah soon fell asleep as well.

Sarah awoke shortly after dawn. Luckily, Jareth had relaxed his grip and she was able to quietly slip out of the bed. Jareth continued to sleep, snoring softly into her pillow. Sarah quickly showered and changed in the bathroom and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. She hoped the Goblin King liked bacon and eggs. It was all she had.

Jareth awoke bleary eyed as he struggled to focus. Somewhere some blasted goblin was pounding loudly on an anvil. Somewhat belatedly, Jareth realized the pounding was actually in his head. Wearily, he laid his head back down and his keen fey nose instantly picked up a wonderfully delicious, vaguely familiar hint of lavender. Instantly, he bolted upright and the covers fell to his waist. Looking down, his mouth dropped open in shock. Not only was he in a strange bed, he was also naked! Just as he was about to transport himself back to the Goblin kingdom, the sweet smell of lavender returned and Jareth got another shock. Who should walk in but the person who had haunted his dreams for the past five years: Sarah!

Sarah hid her smile at the obvious look of astonishment on the Goblin King's face. She correctly guessed that his memory of the night before was probably a little fuzzy. She couldn't resist joking a little at his expense.

"Good Morning, Darling." She said brightly, as she put a cup of coffee on the nightstand. "Did you sleep well?"

Jareth's eyes got bigger at her tone and he struggled to reply.

"Uhh, just fine." he managed after a pause.

"Good." Sarah replied, overly cheerful. "Breakfast will be ready in a moment. I hope you worked up an appetite last night. I know I did." She continued, winking provocatively at him.

A bit dazed, Jareth watched as Sarah glided gracefully out of the bedroom. Belatedly, he noticed the wonderful way that Sarah had matured in the past five years. Shaking his head to clear it, Jareth thought back to the night before. The last clear thought he had was drinking a large amount of dwarven grog. Now, here he was the next morning, naked in Sarah's bed unable to recall what happened! His reflection in Sarah's mirror didn't bode well for the events of the previous night. He looked horrible.

The idea that something had happened and he simply couldn't remember didn't sit well with Jareth at all. He started to magic himself into his clothes and then thought the better of it. Instead, he summoned a globe and restored himself, including his memory. Soon, his typically arrogant smile returned as he realized Sarah had been joking at his expense. Quickly, he decided to play along, restoring his appearance but not his clothes. Two could play at this game.

Sarah returned jauntily, carrying a tray. But as soon as she laid eyes on the Goblin King, her step faltered. Jareth's appearance was back to its wonderfully handsome, yet intimidating state. Evidently, he was back to normal. A tad disappointed and distinctly unnerved, Sarah sat down the tray and swallowed sight of Jareth's magnificent bare chest made her mouth go dry.

"Here you go." she offered, far more subdued this time. "I hope you like it."

Sarah quickly turned on her heel and was about to make a hasty retreat when the rug on her hardwood floor seemed to develop a mind of its own. Strangely, it began to wrap around Sarah's ankles, tripping her up and sending her tumbling backwards, right into the arms of the Goblin King.

"You did that!" Sarah cried, realizing what had happened. "That was a dirty trick!" She observed as he hauled her onto his lap atop the covers.

"So is trying to take advantage of my memory loss!" Jareth shot back.

"So I guess this means you remember last night, huh?" Sarah observed a bit deflated.

"Oh, most definitely." Jareth replied his voice a bit softer.

"You aren't going to try anymore of that rescuing nonsense, are you?" Sarah asked cautiously.

" No." Jareth replied with a sigh. "A relationship, is it?"

"Yes." Sarah responded enthusiastically. "It takes time and work. But, it's worth it. I promise."

"Mmm." He murmured in agreement. "At least the time part won't be a problem." He observed as he dropped a globe over the edge of the bed. Out on the mantle, the large clock's pendulum instantly froze in midswing.

"Did I mention that I absolutely adore lavender?" Jareth observed, his voice thick with passion as he lowered his mouth to Sarah's. Sometimes, being the Goblin King had very distinct advantages.


End file.
